Adverse Drug Interactions: A Handbook for Prescribers

 The prescription of two or more drugs for simultaneous use by a patient always raises the possibility that one of those drugs will affect the intensity and duration of effect of the other(s), and can introduces the possibility of serious side effects occurring. This book provides a convenient, user-friendly approach to this problem, providing information on potential adverse affects by drug class. By establishing a system of grading throughout the book and appropriate coding through the use of special icons, the authors highlight immediately to the reader those interactions that are likely to give rise to life-threatening reactions and must therefore be completely avoided in addition to other, less threatening but nonetheless important interactions to be aware of.

Presented in tabular form for ease of reference, the book also provides a brief summary of the mechanism underlying a particular interaction, alternative drugs lacking the same reactions that may be considered and instructions for monitoring patients when adverse affects may occur. All advice is supported by the appropriate evidence, graded according to a universally accepted system. Drug naming follows the recommendations of INN. Throughout, interactions with OTC medications, herbal remedies and dietary supplements are also considered.

Table of Contents:

The History of the Autopsy
The Future of the Autopsy
The Role of the Autopsy in Medical Education
Autopsies and the Law
Religious Attitudes to the Autopsy
The Safe and Healthy Autopsy
The External Examination
The Evisceration
Routine Autopsy Dissection
Examination of the Nervous System
Fetal, Perinatal and Infant Autopsies
The Maternal Autopsy
Toxicology and Biochemical Analyses
Microbiology of the Autopsy
Autopsies of Patients with High-Risk Infections
Investigating Possible Anaphylactic Deaths
The Pathology of Wounds
Perioperative and Postoperative Deaths
The Radiological Autopsy
The Unascertained Autopsy
Reconstruction of the Body
Autopsies and Clinical Audit
21.     Atipsychotics
22.     Anxiolytics and hypnotics (including antagonists)
23.     CNS stimulants
24.     Drug dependence therapies
25.     Drugs used to treat neuromuscular disorders
Part 3. Anticancer and immunomodulating drugs
26.     Cytotoxics
27.     Hormones/hormone antagonists
28.     Other immunomodulating drugs
Part 4. Anticoagulants
29.     Oral
30.     Parenteral
31.     Thrombolytics
Part 5. Anitdiabetics
32.     Acarbose
33.     Insulin
34.     Metformin
35.     Nateglinide/repaglimide
36.     Pioglitazone/Rosiglitazone
37.     Sulphorylureas
Part 6. Other endocrine drugs
38.     Anabolic steroids
39.     Diazoxide (see centrally-acting antihypertensives in CVS chapter)
40.     Drugs altering bone metabolism
41.     Drugs altering the hypothalamic - pituitary axis
42.     Glucagon
43.     Sex hormones/Gonadotrophins (? drugs - see 0+G chapter)
44.     Steroid replacement therapy (see corticosteroids in Anticancers and Other Immunomodulating Drugs chapter)
45.     Thyroid hormones and antithyroid drugs
Part 7. Analgesics
46.     Nefopam
47.     NSAIDs
48.     Opioids (including antagonists)
49.     Paracetamol
Part 8. Muscoskeletal drugs
50.     Antigouts
51.     Antirheumatoid drugs (see other immunonodulatory drugs in Anticancers and Other Immunomodulating  Drugs chapter)
52.     Skeletal muscle relaxants
Part 9: Anaesthetic drugs
53.     Drugs used to treat malignant hyperpyrexia
54.     Inhalational agents
55.     IV induction agents
56.     Local anaesthetics
57.     Muscle relaxants
58.     Parasympathomimetics (see CNS chapter)
Part 10: Drugs to treat infections
59.     Antibiotics
60.     Antifungals
61.     Antimalarials
62.     Other antiprotozals
63.     Antivirals
Part 11: Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal tract
64.     Antacids
65.     Antidiarrhaeals
66.     Antiemetics
67.     Antispasmodics
68.     Chelates - tripotassium dicitratobismuthate, sucralfate
69.     Drugs to treat inflamatory bowel disease
70.     H2 receptor blockes
71.     Intestinal secretions - aprotirum, pancreatin, ursodeoxycholic acid
72.     Laxatives
73.     Proton pump inhibitors
Part 12: Respiratory drugs
74.     Antihistamines
75.     Bronchodilators
76.     Corticosteroids
77.     Cromoglycate
78.     Doxapram
79.     Leukotriene antagonists
80.     Mucolytics
81.     Sufactants
Part 13: Miscellaneous
82.     Grapefruit/grapefruit juice
83.     Herbal remedies
84.     Over-the-Counter drugs
85.      Nutritional supplements
86.     Drugs available online

O autorze:

Lakshman Karalliedde, Visiting Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Sciences, King’s College London School of Medicine; Consultant Medical Toxicologist, Health Protection Agency, London, UK
Simon FJ Clarke, Consultant Emergency Medicine Physician, Frimley Park NHS Foundation Trust, UK; Honorary Consultant Medical Toxicologist, Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division (London), Health Protection Agency, UK
Ursula Collignon, Senior Pharmacist, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Janaka Karalliedde, Clinical Lecturer in Diabetes and Endocrinology, King’s College London School of Medicine, King’s College London, UK